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Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:

• Archaeologists uncovered a culturally rich ancient tomb in Spain.
• The 5,000-year-old stone tomb in Malaga is an impressive 42 feet in length.
• Full of cultural artifacts, experts believe the tomb will provide new information on ancient customs.

Researchers recently unearthed a 5,000-year-old stone-built monument tomb in Malaga, Spain, that’s comes in at an impressive 42 feet in length. Even better, it’s incredibly well preserved—and stuffed full of artifacts.

“We could be talking about one of the most monumental and complete dolmens in all of Andalusia [the southernmost autonomous region of Spain],” Serafin Becerra, professor at the University of Cádiz, said in a translated statement from the school. A dolmen refers to the stone megalith-style structure discovered at the site.

Project co-director Eduardo Vijande agreed. “The true potential of this structure,” he said, “lies in its extraordinary state of conservation, which will allow us to gain a detailed understanding of the lifestyles and beliefs of these communities.”

The stone tomb isn’t just long—it’s complex. With orthostat slabs (defined as upright stones) over six feet tall, the site features several internal compartments, each with the potential to expand our understanding of funerary practices across the southern Iberian Peninsula during the third millennium B.C.E.

Once inside, the researchers located several “prestigious” container rooms featuring the bones of deceased individuals and a range of grave goods—from exotic raw materials of ivory and amber to seashells and what the team is dubbing “sophisticated flint pieces.” The flint collection includes arrowheads, large-format blades, and an “exceptional halberd” (a two-handed axe-like weapon).

Across multiple excavation seasons, the researchers located multiple container rooms (known as ossuaries), showing that the site was likely a collective burial ground.

“The entire dolmen was also covered by horizontal large stone slabs, and on top of this covering, there was a tumulus [a human-made mound] of sand and small stones,” Eduarda Vijande Villa, an associated professor of prehistory at the University of Cádiz and co-director of the excavations, told Live Science.

Along with providing an understanding of the types of tools and cultural goods used 5,000 years ago, Juan Jesús Cantillo—a professor at the University of Cádiz—said that “the presence of seashells in an inland area reflects the importance of the sea as an element of prestige and the existence of long-distance exchange networks.”

The use of dolmens wasn’t relegated to just the southern Iberian Peninsula, and has cropped up across history in various time periods and regions of the world. In some cases, the sites were more than just tombs. Some held significant cultural or ritual meaning, others served as places to shelter, or and still others served as key territorial markers delineating land ownership.

Famed dolmens span from Europe to Asia, but new discoveries continue to expand our understanding of the practice of their creation. Some of the most well-known dolmens in Europe include Spain’s 7,000-year-old Dolmen of Guadalperal—dubbed the “Spanish Stonehenge” and typically submerged in water, though it will appear in times of drought—and the 5,000-year-old Arthur’s Stone in England, which features nine upright stones weighing an estimated 27 tons.

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Photos by R A Kearton//Getty Images

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